Time and frequency references are used in a variety of different applications to keep devices and systems, such as master clocks, reference clocks, time standard clocks, network clocks, authoritative time sources, sync clocks, and atomic clocks by way of example, running consistently and on-time. To maintain this precision, some of these time and frequency references use global positioning systems (GPS) and other precision time sources.
Unfortunately, many of these time and frequency references are susceptible to outside influence which can have a negative impact on maintaining precise performance. Additionally, these time and frequency references rely on system oscillators, whether crystal or atomic based, which are critical to maintaining precise performance. These oscillators are subject to natural degradation, reducing precision when not steered to a time and frequency reference, and are subject to failure conditions that can be difficult to detect normally.